Would you switch seats? (Read 354 times)

This situation thankfully did NOT happen to me as I was flying today. However, I thought it might make an interesting poll question for those of you who travel.

Imaginary Scenario:

You are flying alone on Southwest airlines and you paid the extra $12.50 to board early. You are able to get your desired aisle seat and room for your bag overhead. The flight attendant makes the announcement that it's a very full flight.

Just as you are settling in before takeoff, the flight attendant approaches you. She asks you if you would be willing to switch seats so a late boarding husband and wife can sit together.

You follow her gaze towards the seat she wants you to switch to: it's a middle seat between two rather large gentleman, whose shoulders and ample girths encroach significantly upon the middle seat space. The seat is also several rows forward of where you are currently seated, with no room for your overhead bag.

You want to be nice (and you believe in wedded bliss), yet you paid to board first and you hate middle seats...

No. Easy call. Why would it be so critical the husband & wife sit together? Different situation if it is something like a mother & young child, but even then I would be grumbling about it. People who need to sit together on a plane need to plan ahead accordingly.

This situation thankfully did NOT happen to me as I was flying today. However, I thought it might make an interesting poll question for those of you who travel.

Imaginary Scenario:

You are flying alone on Southwest airlines and you paid the extra $10 to board early. You are able to get your desired aisle seat and room for your bag overhead. The flight attendant makes the announcement that it's a very full flight.

Just as you are settling in before takeoff, the flight attendant approaches you. She asks you if you would be willing to switch seats so a late boarding husband and wife can sit together.

You follow her gaze towards the seat she wants you to switch to: it's a middle seat between two rather large gentleman, whose shoulders and ample girths encroach significantly upon the middle seat space. The seat is also several rows forward of where you are currently seated, with no room for your overhead bag.

You want to be nice (and you believe in wedded bliss), yet you paid to board first and you hate middle seats...

Would you switch seats?

I see no reason to switch.

steph

"Just stop fucking drinking too much and being fat. Pretty simple. Who the hell cares if you like beer.

People who need to sit together on a plane need to plan ahead accordingly.

I don't fit in a regular airline seat. I have to sit on an angle or pull my knees to my chest. It's a big deal. My upper left leg is still numb from a flight a couple years ago, and the outer front quarter of my right foot is still numb from a flight two months ago. My work accounts don't allow me to pay for upgrades (I could spend $3000 on a coach ticket from one airline that is available for $1000 on another airline or itinerary, but I can't spend $1000 for the ticket and then a few hundred for an upgrade), and I don't have the money to do it from personal funds.

Usually they'll see me and allow me to go to an exit row or bukhead without paying, but if it's full and seats are already assigned, there's nothing they can do. And some flights, like the Japan Airlines flight that left me numb a couple months ago, they don't assign seats until you get to the gate and if your connecting flight is late, like the JAL flight and the story I'm about to tell, you get whatever is left even if it separates a mom and kid.

A couple years ago on a flight from the US to Dubai, it was a 3-5-3 configuration and I was on the outside aisle with a guy at the window and a little kid in between us. His mom was in the middle of the 5 seat row. No one around her would switch to allow the kid there. She asked to switch with the window guy, but he refused. Then we thought the guy across the aisle could switch, but he refused. So I offered to switch with her. I made a couple comical attempts to shoehorn my body into her seat, but it wasn't working. Then an average-sized young guy on the aisle a couple rows back offered to take the middle seat so I could have his aisle seat.

By the way, on the way back to the US on JAL a few weeks ago, they upgraded me to business class. That's the way to go, it's not just a little better, it's many times better. Some guys I know get free upgrades all the time, but it has rarely happened to me.

Back to the original topic, I don't know why a husband and wife would need to sit together, but a mom and a kid is different.

They would have to refund my 10 dollar fee as well as giving me some kind of comp for doing it. It is first come first serve, who gives a flicker if they are married, they will see enough of each other the next 50 years.

I probably wouldn't unless it was to an equal or better seat (aisle for an aisle). I am normal height, but I prefer an aisle seat on longer flights so I can get up and go to the bathroom without climbing over someone. I have asked people to make such a trade to sit next to a co-worker. As others have said, a mother and child would be a different story, but that also depends on the age of the child.

MJ5

Chief Unicorn Officer

posted: 8/4/2013 at 6:22 PM

Nope! If it was a child, I would. I don't need to rearrange myself to make everyone else happy, so in this scenario I would not. Maybe they would think I'm selfish, but I'll never see them again, so I don't care.

Would you apply this same logic in all situations, like a parent and young child separated by the airline and not their choice? I'm nice to a lot of people I will never see again.

Last fall on a 3.5 hour flight the airline ignored our seat reservations and split me, my wife, and three children under 6 all across the plane. I'd booked those seats 5 months in advance but they did it anyways and refused to fix it before we got on the plane.

"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

Would you apply this same logic in all situations, like a parent and young child separated by the airline and not their choice? I'm nice to a lot of people I will never see again.

Last fall on a 3.5 hour flight the airline ignored our seat reservations and split me, my wife, and three children under 6 all across the plane. I'd booked those seats 5 months in advance but they did it anyways and refused to fix it before we got on the plane.

Uh, did you read the part where I said if I was a kid I would have switched?...

I would probably do it. But not if I knew that I was going to be sitting between two fat bastards. I have that thing where I try to be nice and accommodating for anyone and everyone.

In the end, it's all about our own enjoyment/feelings. If I give up my seat, it makes me feel good because I helped somebody else.

But if the downside is sitting next to a couple of fat bastards (and I knew it), that would be factored in to my decision. Being uncomfortable and having fat slabs slapping on me during a long flight is not worth the good feeling I get for giving up my seat.